Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 52

Dave Feit is counting down the days until the start of the 2025 season by naming the best Husker to wear each uniform number, as well as one of his personal favorites at that number. For more information about the series, click here. To see more entries, click here.

Greatest Husker to wear 52: Tom Davis, Center, 1974 - 1977

Honorable Mention: Lyle Sittler

Also worn by: Josh Banderas, Joe Buda, Trey DeLoach, Phillip Dillard, Roger Fitzke, John Garrison, Ken Graeber, Leroy Lucas, Mosai Newsom, Aaron Penland, Matt Penland, Dick Prusia, Duane Sack

Dave's Fave: Phillip Dillard, Linebacker, 2005 - 2009

The original plan was for Tom Osborne to become Nebraska's head football coach in 1972.

But then the 1971 team - one of the greatest college football teams of all time - rolled to a national championship, Nebraska's second in a row. With a ton of talent coming back in 1972, Bob Devaney chose to delay his coaching retirement and try for a three-peat.

Despite having two of the program's all-time greatest players (Johnny Rodgers and Rich Glover), the 1972 team finished 9-2-1. The two losses were by a total of six points. In the two losses and tie, Nebraska had a total of 19 turnovers. The Huskers dismantled Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl 40-6 and ended the season ranked fourth. Afterward, Devaney focused on his role as athletic director, and Osborne took over as Nebraska's head coach.*

*As you likely know, Osborne was Devaney's hand-picked successor. But not everybody was 100% convinced Osborne was the right choice - including some coaches on the staff. Several of Devaney's assistants - Monte Kiffin, Warren Powers, Carl Selmer and Jim Walden - had head coaching aspirations of their own. Kiffin and Powers were Nebraska grads, and all four had been on Devaney's staff longer than Osborne. I think it is fair to say there was some disappointment from these men when they were passed over in favor of the young hotshot offensive coordinator.

Kiffin and Powers, the two Nebraska alums, coached on Osborne's staff for four seasons. They both moved on after the 1976 season. Kiffin was defensive coordinator at Arkansas before spending three years as North Carolina State's head coach. Kiffin went onto a Super Bowl winning career as a defensive coordinator with Tampa Bay. Powers became the head coach at Washington State and Missouri. Twice, his teams upset Osborne's Huskers.

Selmer and Walden left after the 1972 season for Miami (Fla.). Selmer was the offensive coordinator for two seasons (with Walden as an offensive position coach). In 1975, Selmer was promoted to Miami's head coach, and he made Walden his defensive coordinator. The Hurricanes played at Nebraska in 1975 and 1976. Osborne's Huskers won both of those meetings. Selmer was fired after the 1976 season. Walden succeeded Powers as the head coach at Washington State and later coached at Iowa State. Walden was the coach for the Cyclones' 1992 upset of Nebraska.

Six months before coaching his first game, Osborne spoke at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Omaha. The audience gave him a standing ovation. "I wish you wouldn’t do that to me," Osborne said. "I haven’t won a single game yet."

A Nebraska defender wraps up UCLA quarterback Mark Harmon during Tom Osborne's first game as head coach in 1973. | Nebraska Football Media Guide

Osborne would win his debut on Sept. 8, 1973, beating UCLA 40-13. His first loss would come a month later, by one point, at Missouri. Oklahoma State played NU to a 17-17 tie. Oklahoma, who also had a first-year head coach (Barry Switzer), shut out Nebraska 27-0.* Osborne closed out his first season with a Cotton Bowl win over Texas.

*That was the first of three shutout losses in Osborne's 25-year career. The others: the 1992 Orange Bowl against Miami and the 1996 Arizona State game. That's it. Kirk Ferentz's Iowa Hawkeyes were shut out three times in the 2023 season.

The 1974 season played out in a similar fashion. Eight regular-season wins, a close loss to Mizzou, another road clunker (this time, a loss at Wisconsin*), and a no-doubt loss to the Sooners. A bowl game win (over Florida in the Sugar Bowl) secured nine wins and another top-10 finish.

*This was Wisconsin 16 years before Barry Alvarez. The 1974 Badgers finished 7-4, which was their best record between 1962 and 1993.

At most schools, two straight top-10 finishes would be a reason for parades. At Nebraska, where Devaney had just taken the Cornhuskers to unprecedented heights, it led to some grumbling. Some fans wondered if Devaney should have promoted Kiffin.

Robert Allen, a University of Nebraska egent and retail store owner from Osborne's hometown of Hastings, wrote a letter to Osborne after the 1974 OU loss. The key point: Allen thought Osborne's offense was too predictable. Osborne wrote back, "I think I know more about retail than you know about football."

Such was life for the young coach tasked with replacing a legend. It took a while for Tom Osborne to find his footing.

The 1975 season was better. NU started 10-0 before dropping back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Arizona State in the Fiesta Bowl.*

*This was the first of six times Osborne would lose back-to-back games. Tom Osborne never lost three games in a row as a head coach. Although, the first game of the 1976 season was a tie, meaning Osborne did have one three-game winless stretch in 25 years.

Tom Davis prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Tom Sorley. | Nebraska Football Media Guide

In 1976, Tom Davis, a standout athlete from Omaha North, got his chance to be the starting center. He had been with Osborne from the beginning, playing on the freshman team in 1973, redshirting in 1974, and backing up two-time All-American Rik Bonness as a sophomore.

In 1976, Bonness was off to the NFL, and it was Davis's turn. Davis was an honorable mention All-Big Eight player at center, providing protection for quarterback Vince Ferragamo to put up one of the greatest passing seasons in Nebraska history. Nebraska finished 9-3-1. Osborne, unhappy with the direction of his offense, made some changes (which we'll talk about in more depth at #49).

That set up the 1977 season - Davis's senior year. Davis was a first team All-Big Eight pick and earned first-team All-America honors. Osborne called Davis "the best center Nebraska has ever had" which was very high praise considering NU's history at the position and the two-time All-American Davis replaced. Davis was elected to the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

The 1976 Huskers were once again 9-3, but there was a palpable shift going on. Osborne's offense was evolving. More importantly, he was becoming comfortable as Nebraska's head coach.

Tom Davis earned All-America recognition as a senior. — Tom Davis earned All-America recognition at center as a senior. | Nebraska Athletics

***

Phillip Dillard is one of my favorite Husker redemption stories.

He arrived in Lincoln with an incredible amount of hype. The 2005 recruiting class - the first full class for coach Bill Callahan and his staff of strong recruiters (notably, John Blake and Bill Busch) - was stacked with potential. Marlon Lucky! Zack Bowman! Harrison Beck! Ndamukong Suh! Leon Jackson! Steve Octavien! Thirty-two players, 13 of whom were four-stars or higher. ESPN's Tom Lemming (a longtime friend of Callahan) ranked them "No. 1, without a doubt."

Phillip Dillard was one of those four-star players. He was one of the top linebacker prospects in the country and the No. 5 overall player in the state of Oklahoma. Dillard's tape - and his interception in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Game - had the Big Red recruitniks buzzing.

Phillip Dillard makes a tackle early in the 2008 season. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

As a true freshman, Dillard played in 11 games, mostly backing up Corey McKeon. He did earn one start. Then, the first piece of adversity hit. In the 2006 season opener, Dillard tore his ACL. He called the injury "a humble, learning experience." He worked hard to get back on the field in 2007,* again splitting time with McKeon.

*The 2007 defense was a disaster. Here's an example of the fundamental issues they had: In obvious passing downs, defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove would switch to a 3-3-5. The idea was to get more speed on the field with an extra defensive back, plus moving Dillard up to nose tackle to speed rush the quarterback. But… that plan meant taking Ndamukong Suh - the player who would end up fourth all-time in sacks and second in tackles for loss - OFF OF THE FIELD ON PASSING DOWNS!!!

Look: I'm a Phil Dillard fan, and will never criticize a guy for doing whatever is asked of him to get on the field. But let's just say I'm not shocked that Cosgrove and defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt were fired after the season. Wowza.

In 2008 under Bo Pelini and defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, Dillard had a new defensive system to learn taught by coaches who did not recruit him. He played in nine games before a broken ankle sidelined him. Dillard - still limping - thought he was recovered enough to play in the Gator Bowl against Clemson. The trainers and coaches told him no. Dillard responded by verbally unleashing his frustrations on position coach Mike Ekeler.

Dillard's birth mother, who had been ailing for several years, died a few weeks later. Phillip, who had been adopted at age seven by a Tulsa police officer and his wife, told his biological mom that he would "do something that would honor the family." He knew that meant staying out of trouble and doing the right thing. "I had to be a man."

One problem: Pelini and Ekeler weren't all that keen on having Dillard come back in 2009. He wasn't kicked off the team, but his playing career was likely over. "I’m going to prove you both wrong," Dillard told them. "I just want one more chance."

He got that chance. But instead of being a starter, he was fourth on the spring depth chart. Dillard didn't even dress for Nebraska's first two games in 2009. He was moved to a new position (weakside linebacker) and got on the field only when a starter was injured.

Phillip Dillard sacks Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones during the Huskers' 10-3 win in Lincoln in 2009. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Finally, he found success. Pelini's defense and Ekeler's coaching were clicking. Playing behind Suh and Jared Crick didn't hurt. But mostly, Phillip Dillard had confidence and a positive attitude. He ended his season with 83 tackles (second on the team) and 11 tackles for loss, including three sacks. In the 2009 game against his home state Oklahoma Sooners, Dillard had a fourth-quarter interception to go along with eight tackles tackles and two tackles for loss. He was named to the All-Big 12 second team and was a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants. After being drafted, he told the New York Post the secret for turning his career around:

"All I had to do was work and not complain and not moan and not show attitude and not be a cancer in the locker room and not be mad because things aren’t going my way. That’s just how life goes, it doesn’t always go your way. I had to be a man and man-up. That’s what I did."

He makes it sound so simple, doesn't he?

But the truth of the matter is it takes a special person to get back up after the multitude of ways Phillip Dillard was humbled in the first four years of his Nebraska career. It would have been very easy for him to quit - or transfer - or stubbornly continue to blame others.

Phillip Dillard told his mom he would be a man and honor his family.

And that is exactly what he did.

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